The present invention relates to packaging for clear bottled liquids. More particularly, the present invention relates to a packaging system which utilizes the curvature of the bottle to magnify indicia on a side of a label adhered to the bottle.
Bottles are manufactured in a number of varieties of shapes, sizes and colors. This is particularly true with bottles which are produced for alcoholic beverages. Some companies utilize a particular shape, size or color of bottle so that the consumer can readily differentiate their product from other similar products.
Aside from the differences in the bottles themselves, manufacturers and distributors also attach labels or print directly onto the bottles in order to advertise the contents of the bottle, the source of the contents, ingredients and so forth. It is not uncommon for dozens of varieties of bottles to be placed next to one another on shelving in the store. In order to appeal to and catch the attention of the customer, the printing and labels are often quite elaborate and/or colorful. This can significantly add to the cost of producing the bottle and packaging.
Although the printing is intended to be viewed from an outer surface, customers can also view the printing through the bottle on the opposing surface of clear bottles containing a transparent or semi-transparent liquid. However, the print is transposed which makes symbols appear differently than they normally would.
Some companies have frosted or otherwise made opaque areas of the bottle so as to hide portions of the printing on an opposite side of the bottle. Other companies have applied opaque labels on one or both sides of the bottle to hide the printing on the backside of the bottle or label. The idea behind such labeling techniques is not to distract the consumer or render the front side of the packaging cluttered or illegible due to the printing and labeling which is viewable through the front side. However, an opaque label on the back side is oftentimes also visible from the front side and is visually unattractive.
Some have recognized that the side of a label adhered to a bottle can be advantageously utilized to convey information to the consumer. At least one company prints pictorial images on the adhered side of the back label so as to be viewable through the front of a bottle having planar front and rear surfaces. The company uses a combination of the front and back images to convey the source of the bottle and at least some of the pertinent information regarding the content of the bottle. However, the use of a square bottle having flat surfaces does not enlarge or otherwise enhance the image.
What is needed, therefore, is a packaging system which is used on clear bottles containing a transparent or semi-transparent liquid and having arcuate surfaces which provides information and symbols not only on the outer faces of the labels, but also the inner adhered faces of the label so as to be seen through the bottle and magnified by the bottle to give the bottle a distinctive and recognizable appearance. The present invention fulfills this need and provides other related advantages.